Overview of Matches
There are seven ISSF (International Sport Shooting Federation) matches, five of which are shot at the Olympic Games and also at Club, State and National Championship levels. The other matches controlled by Pistol Australia include Black Powder and Service Pistol events.
Air Pistol
Air Pistol is an indoor match consisting of 60 shots shot over a distance of 10m. Air Pistol is an Olympic Sport.
Rapid Fire
The Rapid Fire Pistol match is a 60 shot outdoor match using .22LR semi-automatic pistols.
25M Pistol
This match is officially shot by women and juniors although it is a match that is typically open to men at club and state level.
The course of fire is the same as Centrefire Pistol.
Centre Fire
Centrefire pistol is a 60 shot outdoor match shot in 2 x 30 shots stages. Each stage uses a different target style.
The match can be shot with semi-automatic pistols or revolvers with calibres between .32 and .38.
50m Pistol (Free)
50m Pistol is a 60 shot outdoor match. The match is typically shot with single shot .22LR pistols with long barrels, wrap around orthopedic grips, and very low trigger weights. 50m Pistol has been an Olympic Sport.
Black Powder
The match is shot over 25 & 50 metres, consisting of 13 shots to be loaded and fired in 30 minutes, with the top ten valued shots only to be scored.
Air Pistol
The Air Pistol match is a slow fire match demanding similar levels of precision to Free Pistol except that it is shot at 10 metres on a target with a Ten-ring on a target measuring 17cm X 17cm. The match consists of 60 shots.
The pistols
World class air pistols (e.g. Feinwerkbau, Walther, Steyr and Morini) are air or gas-powered pistols. Trigger weight can be no lighter than 500 grams; the width of the grip and length of the barrel are also limited.
Course of fire
Competitors use .177 calibre pistols to fire lead pellets at targets 10 metres away. The bulls-eye has a 10mm 10 ring, with the entire target being just 15cm across.
Match rules allow 15 minutes for preparation and sighters, then one hour and 30 minutes for 60 shots.
Perfect match score
600 is a perfect score with 585 being world class.
Schedule
Range A for Air Pistol, is open with lights and power Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm and all day Saturday & Sunday. The range is available for practice during the day at other times so long as there at least two members present, with one acting as a range officer (members may take this in turns).
Rapid Fire
This match is shot by men at the Summer Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and ISSF World Cups.
Rapid Fire pistol has been an Olympic event since the first modern Games in 1896. Shot with a .22 calibre pistol from 25 metres, competitors have eight, six, or four seconds to fire one shot at each of five adjacent targets. As an added difficulty, pistols must be held downward at a 45 degree angle until the targets rotate from edge on to face the shooter.
The 10 ring on this target is 10cm wide.
The pistols
Rapid Fire pistols shoot .22 cartridges with a minimum velocity of 250m/sec, minimum bullet weight of 39gr. from a five-shot magazine and is essentially the same pistol used for the Standard Pistol event.
Course of fire
60 rounds are fired in two courses, sometimes over consecutive days. Each 30 round course is made up of
two five shot series in eight seconds
two five shot series in six seconds
two five shot series in four seconds
Sighters consist of 5 shots in eight seconds prior to each course. Only one malfunction is allowed in each series
Perfect match score
600 is a perfect score, with 592 being world class.
Schedule
Shot every second Saturday, with a monthly Feature Day handicap match.
25M Pistol
This match is shot by women at the Summer Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and ISSF World Cups.
The pistols
Sport pistols with an allowable minimum trigger weight of 1000 grams shooting .22 calibre ammunition from a five-shot magazine. The pistol must fit in a box with a specific size.
Course of fire
The 60-shot match is divided into 30 shots precision with preparation time of 5 minutes and thirty shots rapid-fire with a preparation time of 3 minutes.
The precision, or slow-fire stage, is fired in a six series of five shots, and competitors have five minutes per series.
In the 30-shot rapid-fire stage (sometimes called duelling), competitors shoot rounds of five shots. Three seconds are allotted for each shot, followed by seven seconds of rest. Malfunctions allowed are one per series.
Perfect match score
600 is a perfect score, with 585 being world-class.
Schedule
Shot every Saturday afternoon with Centrefire Pistol at 12.00pm
Centre Fire
This match is shot by men at ISSF World Cups.
The pistols
Centre Fire competitors use “Centre Fire” pistols (revolvers or semi-autos) with an allowable calibre of 7.62mm to 9.65mm (.30, .32, .38 and .357 calibre) to shoot precision and rapid-fire competition from a distance of 25 metres. Minimum trigger weight is 1360 grams and the pistol must fit in a box with a specific size.
Course of fire
The precision target has a 5cm 10-ring, while the rapid fire has a 10cm centre.
The 60-shot match is divided into 30 shots precision with preparation time of 5 minutes and 30 shots rapid-fire with the preparation time of 3 minutes. The precision, or slow-fire stage, is fired in six series of five shots and competitors have five minutes per series. In the 30 shot rapid-fire stage, competitors shoot strings of five shots. Three seconds are allotted for each shot, followed by seven seconds of rest. Allowable malfunctions are one per series.
Perfect match score
600 is a perfect score, with 585 being world-class.
Schedule
Shot every Saturday afternoon with Sport Pistol at 12.00pm
50M Pistol
This match is shot by men at the Summer Olympics, Commonwealth Games and ISSF World Cups.
The pistols
A free pistol is easily identified by its grip, which may completely envelope and stabilizes the shooter’s hand. Regulations require only that it fires .22 calibre long rifle cartridges, has metallic sights and does not lock the wrist. The pistol’s barrel is longer than that of other pistols providing longer sight radius at this longer shooting distance.
Course of fire
Competitors fire 60 shots plus sighters in two hours. Competitors shoot .22 calibre pistols from 50 metres at precision targets with a 5cm 10 ring.
Perfect match score
600 is a perfect score, and 565 is world class.
Schedule
Available to be shot on alternating Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Black Powder
Black Powder is not really just one match but a series of matches. They differ from all other matches in that the pistols used be they revolver or single shot, retain ignition systems which were used before the invention of (in the 1860’s) the self contained metallic cartridge.
The pistols
Pistols for this match do not have to be exact replicas of an original and can have adjustable sights. There is no minimum trigger weight but triggers must be “safe”. The pistols use a percussion cap placed on a nipple, which when struck by the hammer ignites the propellant, which is a charge of black powder. Projectiles must be round ball (used by almost everyone) or traditional pointed “picket” style bullets.
Orthopedic grips are ruled out by a limit on the width and downward extension of the grips which must not cover the front and rear grip strap.
Notwithstanding their “out of date” technology these pistols when properly loaded are capable of accuracy approaching that of the very best centrefire revolvers and although the atmosphere at a Black Powder shoot tends to be somewhat more relaxed than is common at some other matches the participants are no less competitive and the scores reflect this.
Course of fire
Although there are a number of black powder matches depending to some extent on the type of pistol used i.e. adjustable sight revolver, fixed sight revolver, replica single shot or modern single shot.
Schedule
Shot on alternating Saturday afternoons, and every Wednesday morning from 9.00am
